Farewell Nepal

Dear Ann,
While Nepal was always a place I had dreamed of visiting I leave knowing it's somewhere I'll never return to.
The two weeks spent there were quite the adventure from trekking the Annapurna mountains to just surviving the poorly kept, rubbish cluttered cliff side roads. We never quite knew what to expect when ordering food, one day it might be one thing and the next a completely different interpretation of the same dish.
It was disappointing to see such picturesque landscape ruined by people who think it's ok to toss their rubbish on the ground or out the car window and a country who has no system in place to dispose of it.
But there were things I loved about the country, like the prayer flags hanging everywhere you can possibly imagine, getting the opportunity to meet some amazing people and who can forget White Mischief their vodka!!
We were eagerly awaiting our departure to Delhi to meet Sabrina and make our way to the Taj Mahal. Unfortunately Jet Airways had other ideas when canceling our flight after hours of delays. On the upside it was nice to be put up in luxury accommodation after our usual budget digs and be spoilt with a huge buffet breakfast (Check out the photos below). The following day was yet again totally chaotic at the airport causing numerous arguments and punch ups, and yes we did cause a couple!! Oops!!
Eventually a new flight was arranged which was an obvious delight to all the passengers many who had gone crazy at some point over the past 26 hours...this even got a few Indian men dancing...probably too much White Mischief!!
You would have gone mental at the airport...I think I've taken on your usual role on this trip..besides planner extraordinaire!!! Haha

Missing you and wishing you were here to see the Taj Mahal with me...I've been waiting so long!!

Love Em xx

Four Days of Torture on Top of the World

Dear Anna,
If only I had realized a week ago what trekking in the Annapurna mountains really meant!! It was without a doubt the most horrible and painful 4 days of my life despite being literally on top of the world. The majority of the trek we were higher than the highest mountain in Australia (this I'm pretty proud of). However the first thing I did upon returning was donate my hiking boots freshly purchased from Brisbane before I left to our guesthouse in Pokhara. Each step I took was excruciating from the blisters in multiple places on both my feet. By day 4 I could barely walk and at one point fell down 5 stairs...I was not a happy trekker!!


Have you seen the movie Wolf Creek? It's an Aussie film about backpackers being murdered in the outback...seriously frightening movie. Anyway on our second night we stayed at the freakiest guesthouse and we were the only guests. We were so scared of the creepy owner we slept with our walking sticks beside our bed. I was concerned my head would end up on mine just like in the movie!!!


On a positive note (believe me it was difficult to find any lol) I finished the trek a day ahead of schedule and although I now realize I'm not cut out for trekking (mountains are really of no interest to me!!) I know I can do anything I apply myself to.


So next time I say I'm heading into the mountains for a few days please refresh my memory of this scarring experience...although I don't think I'll be forgetting it in a hurry!! But check out some of the pics from the ordeal...our bus trip to the mountains was somewhat of an experience too...


Missing you xx


P.S I love the matching pjs and can't wait for my very own pair next year :)

Christmas in Nepal

Hey Kittle,
It's nearly Christmas but it really doesn't feel like it for me. We arrived in Nepal almost a week ago and it was really like stepping back in time. There is no electricity during the day and doesn't come back on til 8 or 9 at night (if at all....Chitwan National Park!) and it is often difficult to get foreigner hot water instead of Napali hot water!! Besides that we found Kathmandu to be filled with quirky shops, unique laneways, friendly people and temples popping up in the strangest of places. We spent a few days there before we headed to Chitwan National Park. We stayed at Rainbow Safari Resort as part of a 3 day package. This was a bad decision even worse than getting my fringe cut in Nepal!! The food was terrible, no electricity or hot water for the first two days plus we couldn't do the elephant bathing which was the whole reason I wanted to go there. But we survived and saw some cool things none the less...an 8 day old elephant, rhinos while riding elephants and a crazy Russian licking rhino pee off a tree while his friend requested to taste it's poo, which the guide rejected after I let out a loud "WHAT!!"
We said farewell to the new friends we made (even the Russians despite the things they put in their mouths!! Haha) and headed off on our tiny seated bus full of loud instrument playing Chinese to Pokhara. We had heard great things about Pokhara so we had planned to spend the majority of our Nepal time here, and we were not disappointed. The main tourist area is located next to a giant lake underneath the mountains so the view is breathtaking. The streets are lined with prayer flags which I love and have already purchased some for my new room in the UK....let me know if you want some :) We hired bikes today and cycled around for awhile til the pressure of the trucks and buses became too much for me.
We plan to do a 4-5 day hike into the mountains over Christmas so it really won't feel like Christmas for me this year, besides the random decorations we have seen sporadically.
Hope you, Paul and the rest of my 'adopted' family have a merry Christmas and hopefully I will be there celebrating with you all next year.
Love Em xx